Setts



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. THOMPSON.

BUTTON SEWING MACHINE. No. 388,796 Patented Aug. 28, 1888.

4/ 1141 1: as ea,-

' fhventor;

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet, 2.

R. THOMPSON.

BUTTON SEWING MACHINE.

Patented Aug. 28

%'zm86, V4 4% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROSEVVEIIL THOMPSON, OF BRIDG EPORT, CONNIGO'IICU'I, ASSIGNOR TO THE MORLEY BUTTON SEWING MACIIINE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACIIU- SETTS.

BUTTON-SEWING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 388,796, dated August 28, 1888.

Application filed Marehltl, 1883. Serial NoflfiifiTtl. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: presented to the needle at a proper angle while 2e it known that I, RosEWELr. 'lnonrson, being sewed to the fabric. Fig. 7 is a seea citizen of the United States, residing at tional view of the button-holding spring, por- Bridgeport, in the county of Fairficld and tion of buttontrough covm' plate to which State of Connecticut, have invented a new and said spring is secured, portion of back half of Improved Button Feeding and [folding Mechextended Imttmrtrough, and end of button anism for Shank lutton Sewing-l\lachincs; pushing device, showing a button passing and I do hereby declare the following to be a under the bent portion of the clampingspring full, clear, and exact description of the conduring the right-swinging motion of the but m struction and operation of the same, reference tontrough.

being made to the accompanying drawings, Similar letters of reference indicate correforming a part of this specification. spending parts.

This invention relates to improvements in A the front end of the fabric supporting a partof the machine for which Letters Patent arm of the machine.

1 were granted to me November 30, 1886, No. I is the lower or jointed end of the needle 6 353,609, my object being to feed and hold the bar bearing, and (l is the support for the same. shank-buttons to be sewed 011 to the fabric by I) is the pivot upon which the ncedle'bar the needle and thread in a more positive and bearing turns. secure manner than by the means employed E is the needlc-bar.

20 in the machine referred to; and I accomplish F is the needle. 7c this by the use of a device I term a pusher, G is the front end of the arm ofthe machine. which is secured to a certain portion of the II i the front end of the swinging buttonmachine in such a manner as to force a button troug toward the extreme end of the extended por- I i the lever which imparts the right and 25 tion of the button-trough during the rightleft swinging motions to the lmtton-trough.

swinging motion of saidtrough, and then held .I is the buttontrough extension. in this position while said trough is swinging K is the covenplate for button-trough and to the left by the use of a spring of certain its extension. shape and construction, the form and opera- Lis thebutton-pusher secured to the needle- 0 tion of which devices will herein be fully cxbar bearingsupport, and M is the buttoir 8o plained and described. clamping spring attached to the buttoirtrough In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is cover-plate. a front view of a portion of my machine, with a is the cover-plate and throatvplate of the presserfoot and pivoted thread guard refabric-supporting arm.

5 moved, but with my improved button feeding I) is the threadcontrolling device, and e is and holding devices in their respective places the rod which connects it with the cam in the and button-trough in its extreme left position. body of the machine which imparts motion to Fig. 2 is a side view of same portion of the the same. machine, also with presserfoot and pivoted d is the front end of the take-up bar.

0 thread-guard removed and button feeding and c is the roll over which the thread passes. holding devices in their proper positions. f is the front end of the doublehook op- Figs. 3 and 4 are front and side views of the crating-bar. same portion of the machine and same devices 7 is the fabric upon which the buttons are shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but with buttonsewed, and h is the thread.

5 trough in its extreme right position. Figs. 5 The operation of the illustrated devices of 5 and 6 are top and side views of the extended the machine and my button feeding and hold portion of the buttontrough, showing the slot ing mechanism is as follows: The take-up roll which guides the button-eye in its passage to and thread-controlling device being threaded the extreme end of the same, and the partial in a proper manner and the bnttontrough 5o spiral form which causes the button-eye to be filled with buttons, the machine commences 10o its motion with the needle at its highest point, which is about the position shown in Fig. 2, there being at this time no thread in the eye of the same, and the button-trough in its extreme right position, as shown in Fig. 3, the first motion of the needleis downward,piercing the fabric outside the position of the buttoir eye, and when the eye of the needle is some distance below the fabric the thread-controlling device is swung to the right sufficiently far to force the thread into the open eye. Then the needle has an upward motion,drawing with it a loop of thread through the fabric until it is about as long as shown in Fig. 2. \Vhile in this position the button-trough is swung to the extreme left position,earrying with it the button which is under the end of the clamping-spring, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Then the needlebar bearing is oscillated sufficiently far back to cause the point of the needle to pass through the button-eye and pierce the fabric under the same, carrying the loop of thread, which is in the eye of the needle, through the button-eye and fabric and some distance below the latter. Then thedoublehook, which isin thefabric-supporting arm, removes the loop of thread from the open eye of the needle and retains it while the needle has another upward motion. The loop of thread in the meantime is being drawn back some distance by the double hook. After the needle has reached its highest point, the needle-bar bearing is oscillated toits front position, so to cause the point of the needle to again pierce the fabric in its first place outside the button-eye during its next downward motion. \Vhen the eye of the needle is some distance below the fabric, the thread-controlling device is again swung to the right sufficiently far to force the thread into the open eye. Thentheneedlehasauother upward motion, drawing with it a loop of thread as be fore; but this time it is "first drawn through the bent-back loop of thread which is under the fabric, then through the fabric after the loop of thread is quite through thelattcr, and during its remaining upward motion, while the loop of thread is taut, the button-trough is swung to the right, and the threads, which have been passed through the buttoneye,sutticiently secure the button to the fabric to cause it to be removed from its position under the end of the clamping-spring during the fore part of the right-swinging motion of the buttontrough and remain in position (shown in Figs. 3 and 4) during the remaining right-swinging motion of said button-trough, another button in the meantime being forced into position at the end of the button-trough extension and under the clamping-spring by the stationary button-pusher, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 7, to be sewed to the fabric in the same manner as described forpreceding button. While the button-trough remains in said right position, and the second loop of thread is in its highest place above the fabric, the loop-spreading mechanism removes the loop from the eye of the needle and passes it over the body of the button. Then the take-up mechanism, with the aid of the tension, exerts sufficient strain upon the loop of thread to tighten it about the button-eye and threads which have been passed through it, thus completing the stitch, after which the feeding mechanism of the ma chine moves the fabric sutliciently far back to place the next button in its proper position upon it at the next left motion of the buttontrough, and the operation of sewing it to the fabric is repeated, as above described. The buttons slide loosely in the button-trough, and also in the extension as far down as the end of the coverdate and bent portion of the clamping-spring which passes over the end of said plate, and the end of the pusher is in such a position as to be to the right of the button, which is next to said bent portion when the button'trough is swung to the ex treme left, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the right-swinging motion of the button-trough will cause said button to be forced under said bent portion of the spring, as shown in Fig. 7, to its position under the end of the clamping-spring by said stationary pusher, as shown in Fig. 3, the hole in the end of said spring allowing the same to partially close over thebody or head of the button, and thus securely clamp or hold the same while being sewed to the fabric; but said elampi ngspring is so flieiently yielding to leave the button in its position upon the fabric after one loop of thread has been passed through the eye of the same, and before the stitch is fully completed, at the com menceinent of the right-swinging motion of the button-trough, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Having thus fully described the construction and operation of my improved button feeding and holding mechanism, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent.

In a buttonsewing machine, the combination, with its stitch-forming mechanism and work-table, of a button-pusher and swinging button-trough having on its end a buttonclamping spring, M, the said spring having in its clamping end a downward bend, whereby the outermost button is separated from the next one, and a perforation which is less in diameter than the buttonheads, all substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

ROSEWELL TIIOMPSUN. \Vitnesses:

II. A. TiIoMrsoN, U. FnwiN 'Jnonrsox.

I OF 

